1. Suffering or dukkha is the first noble truth that in his search for enlightenment the Buddha came to see very clearly. As human beings, suffering is part of our lives, whether physical, mental or emotional. More fundamentally, there is a sense within us that life cannot bring lasting satisfaction. Life is impermanent and ever-changing, and any happiness that we enjoy is unstable. But why is this so?

2. Craving or tanha is the second noble truth. If we suffer it is a result of selfish desire - wanting to satisfy our senses with pleasurable experiences and wanting to avoid what is unpleasant. This craving is also connected with bolstering our sense of ourselves as having a permanent self rather than a personality which is subject to change.

3. The end of suffering is Nibbana, the third Noble Truth. Buddhism would be a bleak religion if it stopped at the first two truths. When he attained enlightenment, the Buddha saw and experienced that there was an end to suffering, a place of ultimate peace and understanding. He taught that this state was here and now and could be experienced through following the right path.

4. The Noble Eightfold Path, the Fourth Noble Truth (ariya-sacca), is the Buddha's practical method for attaining Nibbana. In short, the Noble Eightfold Path requires us to develop wisdom, morality and meditation. All three are necessary and inform each other. The eight factors that make up this path are: right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.

The Four Noble Truths are the bedrock of the Buddha's teaching and unite the different schools of Buddhism and their differing practices

Kamma literally means 'action' and refers to the process by which our moral actions have consequences for us in the future. Put simply, our good deeds lead to happy states; our bad deeds lead to unhappy ones. The word 'deed' here refers not to just physical actions but words and thoughts too. Indeed, the mind is the source of all our deeds, whether good or evil: 'Mind foreruns conditions, mind is chief, mind-made are they'.

Thus, 'if one speaks or acts with wicked mind, because of that, pain pursues him'. Similarly, 'if one speaks or acts with pure mind, because of that happiness follows him'.

At its core, therefore, Buddhism has a sense of moral justice, though there is no overseeing arbiter or judge, and no judgement day as such. It might be better to see the process of karma as a natural phenomenon. If you look after a fruit tree carefully, pruning it at the right time and feeding it appropriately, good fruit ensues. If you fail to look after it properly then it will not bear fruit or the fruit will be sparse. In short, we reap the rewards of what we do that is wholesome, and suffer for what we do that is unwholesome.

One crucial aspect of the Buddhist teaching on karma is intention. In Buddhism, harming living creatures is seen as morally wrong but this does not mean that if you step on an ant by accident that you are morally culpable. Intention is everything, (though even good intentions have to be handled with intelligence and skilfulness).

To fully appreciate the Buddha's teaching on karma, it has to be linked to the teaching on rebirth. The consequences of our actions can be fairly immediate but often they are not. They can occur in this life or future lives, maturing when the right conditions are in place.

The teaching on karma can influence the moral choices we make in life, knowing that whatever short-term benefits we might gain from doing something morally wrong we will inevitably have to pay the consequences. Like borrowing money from a bank, it has to be paid back at some stage in the future. On the other hand, we know that any good deeds are do will have benefits for us in the future.

It is here, however, that we need to be careful. The most beneficial actions have their source in a selfless heart - if we do good deeds merely because we hope to gain something in the future, the motivation is impure. Linked to good moral action should be a spontaneous desire to help others without any thought of how we, as individuals, might benefit.

Impermanence

The Buddha taught that nothing is permanent and all things are in a state of continuous change, whether gross or subtle. We as individuals change second by second. The biological and chemical processes that constitute our bodies are changing milli-second by milli-second. Over a longer period, we can see ourselves and other aging year by year. Similarly our thoughts and feelings are also subject to change.

We create problems for ourselves when we try to cling on to everything as if it were permanent rather than appreciating the moment. Often we go through life looking to repeat pleasurable experiences again and again and again and feeling unhappy when this isn't possible. The Buddha, therefore, asks us to be realistic, to work with what is rather than fool ourselves into pretending life is something else.

Suffering

The Buddha taught that at the root of our lives is suffering, the first noble truth. By this he meant physical, emotional and mental pain; but he used the term to describe a fundamental unsatisfactoriness which hangs like a shadow over all of our experience. Even in happiness and prosperity we know that misfortune can strike at any time and can take many forms. Ultimately, we know that we are subject to old age and death and that we will not be able to hang on to the things we love. Of course this would be a very depressing insight if the Buddha had not also demonstrated that there is a way out of this suffering. 

Not-Self

Perhaps the most difficult concept of the three is that of not-self. We are used to thinking of ourselves as having an 'essential' personality, a permanent self or soul, an inner nature that is fundamentally who we are. However, the Buddha taught that this is not the case, that we are in fact made up of five factors that are prone to change. These are the physical body, feeling, perception, mental formations and consciousness. Mental formations refers to our thoughts, ideas and, importantly, volition (or will), and consciousness. The Buddha is not saying that people don't have individuality but that the personality doesn't have an individual, unchanging essence. One of the great attachments that we have in life is our attachment to ourselves, protecting and preserving the notion of who we are. Through meditation, the Buddha asks us to investigate this impermanent self and the multiple processes that form it.

At the heart of Buddhism is the aspiration to see things as they really are. Part of seeing things as they really are is to clearly perceive these three marks of existence.

Lying

The Buddha instructs us to tell the truth, to avoid deception through speech, to be reliable and trustworthy. We should never lie for the advantage of ourselves or others. Our answers to questions should be plain and simple: called upon and asked as a witness to tell what he knows, he answers if he knows nothing: 'I know nothing', and if he knows, he answers 'I know'.

Telling Tales

Telling tales is an unwholesome activity that breeds discord and distrust. The Buddha instructs as follows: What he has heard here, he does not repeat there, so as to cause dissension there; and what he has heard there, he does not repeat here, so as to cause dissension here. What we should be interested in is promoting unity and taking delight in the harmony that can be fostered by appropriate speech.

Harsh Language

We should also, according to Buddha's instructions, avoid harsh language. This is abusive and hateful language that is designed to hurt those who it is aimed at. In contrast he urged us to be gentle and polite in our speech, advising us to be friendly and full of sympathy...with heart full of love, and free from any hidden malice.

Frivolous Talk

Finally, the Buddha gives further recognition of the importance of using language in a wholesome and productive way. What we say should be of benefit to ourselves and others: He speaks at the right time, in accordance with facts, speaks what is useful. Speech, says the Buddha, should be like a treasure, uttered at the right moment,...moderate and full of sense.

Like any other wholesome actions Right Speech brings good results such as respect and trust. It is also social cohesive, bringing unity and harmony between people.